"Three people were killed and seven others wounded by birdshot
and stabbing attacks during clashes between Morsi supporters and
his opponents," Adel Said, a hospital official in Mansoura,
told the agency. The victims, all of whom are women, have all
been identified.

The death toll was also confirmed by another health official, who
said that victims were shot. Ten more people have also been
injured, one of whom was in critical condition.

Activists on the ground, especially from the Muslim Brotherhood
bloc, place a higher number on those killed, while some tweets
from Egypt suggest that as many as 200 people were wounded,
including a number of minors.

Local activist Abdullah el-Nekeity told AP that clashes began
after a mob attacked the pro-Morsi demonstrators with live
ammunition, birdshot, knives and attack dogs. Some demonstrators
fled until security forces arrived, el-Nekeity said.

In a statement, the Muslim Brotherhood blamed hired thugs for the
violence.

In addition to Mansoura, clashes between Morsi's supporters and
opponents engulfed Egypt on late Friday night. Security forces
intervened with tear gas to disperse the scuffles.

Police forces in Qena, in Upper Egypt, fired tear gas to stop
clashes in the city center after several rallies merged.

In the city of Ismailia, at the Suez Canal, many Muslim
Brothehood supporters took to the streets calling for Morsi’s
reinstatement and condemning what they call a “military coup”
against the democratically elected leader. They chanted slogans
against military commander-in-chief and Defense Minister Abdel
Fattah El-Sisi.

At the same time supporters of the new interim government also
marched in the city in support of Sisi, shouting “the people and
the army are one hand,” while condemning Islamist parties as
“deceiving the people in the name of religion.”

Other rallies were held across Damietta, the Nile Delta,
Alexandria, Gharbiya, Sharqiya and Fayoum, and Beni Suef and
Assiut in Upper Egypt, Ahram reports.

In the capital Cairo, police also teargassed pro-Morsi demonstrators clashing with
anti-Morsi factions as thousands of demonstrators marched towards
the presidential palace.

With the Muslim Brotherhood having such deep roots in Egyptian
society, the only way to untie the political deadlock is to form
a coalition government, believes award-winning journalist Hugh
Miles.

No matter how experienced and qualified the people in the new
Egyptian government are, they will not manage to turn the country
around unless there is genuine political reconciliation between
the opposing factions, explained Miles.

“The country is more divided than it’s ever been, and the
future is highly uncertain,” Miles told RT. “They have to
try and form a government that includes Islamists, secularists
and liberals. But so far they have not managed to do this at all.
And so what we are likely to see is swinging between these two
poles in Egyptian politics going forward.”
“The Muslim Brotherhood has very deep roots in Egyptian society,
it has millions of supporters, it’s been around for many years,
and it has to have a stake in power,” he added. “By using
peaceful protests they can bring the country to its knees - the
country is already on its knees.”